Investigation of polymer electrolyte membrane chemical degradation and degradation mitigation using in situ fluorescence spectroscopy

Venkateshkumar Prabhakaran, Christopher G. Arges, Vijay Ramani

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

147 Scopus citations

Abstract

A fluorescent molecular probe, 6-carboxy fluorescein, was used in conjunction with in situ fluorescence spectroscopy to facilitate realtime monitoring of degradation inducing reactive oxygen species within the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) of an operating PEM fuel cell. The key requirements of suitable molecular probes for in situ monitoring of ROS are presented. The utility of using free radical scavengers such as CeO 2 nanoparticles to mitigate reactive oxygen species induced PEM degradation was demonstrated. The addition of CeO 2 to uncatalyzed membranes resulted in close to 100% capture of ROS generated in situ within the PEM for a period of about 7 h and the incorporation of CeO 2 into the catalyzed membrane provided an eightfold reduction in ROS generation rate.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1029-1034
Number of pages6
JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Volume109
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 24 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General

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